Follow my journey from Greece to Sweden and my quest for happiness, starting August 23rd 2014.

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Happiness Is a Serious Problem

Thursday 3/4/2014
I read a post about human longevity and it gave me some serious food for thought. We live way more than our ancestors did, and way more than most people do in 3rd World countries, all that in anno 2014. Yet we have some serious issues.

One of them is the lack of happiness. I currently live in a country struck by the economic crisis, where unemployment and corruption flourish and there seemes to be no ray of light at the end of the tunnel. For the past 15-20 years i have had a tough time, especially during 2012-2013. But i never lost hope, nor the desire to regain my composure and chase my goals.

Plastic friends are everywhere, they only know how to have fun and drink, but once you ask them for help or to do something new, something interesting, they bail out and throw any kind of excuse right in your face.

"Hey Maria (random name), let's go horse riding this weekend."
"I can't Kostas, i have no money, work at uni/school"

Same night you can find Maria and co. at the local club dancing her ass off and throwing 20 euros per night.

Yet you witness them in the nightclubs and cafe's, where people are meant to socialize and actually have a good time:

Get smartphone out.

Check in location including all friends.

Write that you are having a blast.

Wear your fake smile and take selfies.

Sit in the corner like a statue.

Now that's what i call fun. Let's throw a picture for the sake of it.

Seriously?

Let's not talk about their attitude when you try to approach them, or the male orbiters that pray and eye-stalk every good looking woman in the place.

PS. Orbiter: A guy or group of guys that surrounds women with no purpose or use, he just exists. Also known as beta male or AFC (Average Frustrated Chump).

So how do we combat this plague?

Unless you are willing to make an actual effort and you are not just a man/woman of words but action you can turn your life into something purposeful, that fulfills you, brings you joy and overcomes your depression.

Notice when you want something really bad and you make it your goal to get it even if it sounded impossible for you at the moment? You need a DCA, a Definite Chief Aim to be able to achieve your goals. You need to know what you want, where you want to be and a plant to make it happen. Of course we are talking about realistic targets most of the time (Napoleon Hill, The law of success).

Not like this.

The same book covers some interesting topics, though his obsession with Henry Ford being the most powerfull human on Earth and the USA being the greatest country in the world (not objecting, it just gets repetitive).

It also promotes self-talk and self-suggestion, which is a really powerful tool that we usually use wrongly. Instead of telling ourselves every morning that we are the best, that we are beautiful, that we can achieve our goals, we downgrade ourselves, and our self-esteem plummets to Hades. Employers talk a lot about powerful communication being a perk, they forget that it is not only important to be able to communicate with others, but also to have a discussion with yourself.